Top row, left to right, Bokara's Canterbury Silk, Thom Filicia with Feizy team and new rugs, Carlisle by Loloi. Middle row, let to right, Capel's Sturbridge and Stockton, Jaipur Living's Somewhere in Time, Momeni's Simba. Bottom row, left to right, Nourison's Luna, S&H showroom, Safavieh's Haj Jalili.
HIGH POINT, N.C. -- It almost seemed normal… now that COVID-19 vaccinations are widely available and cases are going down, the furniture market buildings were bustlings, showrooms overflowing with new introductions and fresh displays and retailers -- and interior designers and other industry members were face to face (smiles showing) for the first time in far too long.
Excited about having fresh inventory in their stores, retailers gravitated towards their favorite new products with strong order writing , as they sought to update their stores with the latest in-stock product.
In addition, several area rug showrooms expanded, relocated or debuted at the June 2021 event with multiple ribbon cutting ceremonies -- yet another indicator of the industry moving toward a sense of normalcy.
RugNews.com headed to more than two dozen area rug showrooms to find out what's hot, what's new and who shopped the show. In Part 1 of this area rug round up we cover companies from Art Resources to Loloi. Make sure not to miss Part 2, where we visit Momeni to Unique Loom.
ART RESOURCES
Art Resources' Santafe collection is inspired by Native American craftsmanship and flat-woven of hand-spun wool.
Native American craftsmanship was the inspiration for the Santa Fe collection from Art Resources. For an authentic look, the rugs are made with a very similar construction to how Native Americans wove their rugs. This even includes a “Lazy Line,” a diagonal imperfection in the weave that was caused by craftsmen taking a break from working while their partner continued on with the weaving on one side. Made of hand-spun wool, the flat-woven rugs are made with a continuous loop warp and the edge finishing is also done using a similar technique. Both programmed and custom sizes are available in Santa Fe.
BOKARA RUG
Bokara, after requests from clients, has shifted toward using real silk in its area rugs and the Canterbury Silk rug, is crafted of 65 percent silk and 25 percent wool.
Bokara is moving towards including real silk in its collections. “Designers are telling us they don’t want viscose,” noted David Lew, sales executive. Recycled sari silk is used in some of the company’s brightly colored contemporary patterns, and virgin silk is also used in various collections. One highlight was the Canterbury Silk rug, made of 65 percent silk and 25 percent wool, on a cotton structure. It has an abstract hatch design executed in blue, grey, and beige.
CAPEL
Companion braided collections Sturbridge and Stockton use the same color ways to simplify coordination across the home.
Among the big launches for Capel at this market were the companion collections to Sturbridge and Stockton. Sturbridge is a banded braided rug, while Stockton is comprised of solid tweeded braids in the same colorways of blue, green, grey, brown, and red, in dark, medium, and light values. Together, the rugs can be used throughout the house to create a coordinated look. The collection includes ovals, rounds, and rectangles of various sizes and also includes coordinating baskets. Another highlight from Capel is Braymore, a hand-knotted wool rug out of India. In the same quality as the company’s existing collection called Charise, Braymore features bordered, classic designs and has a softer color palette than Charise’s saturated hues.
Capel debuts Capel is Braymore, a hand-knotted wool rug, featuring soft, easy to decorate with trendy palettes.
FEIZY
Designer Thom Filicia hosted an in-person meet and greet at the Feizy showroom alongside Feizy's Lorraine Nicholson-Collins, left, and Kayla Tyndall
A big focal point of Feizy’s showroom was the launch of designer Thom Filicia’s 11-piece capsule collection. With three quality levels — tufted, hand loomed, and hand knotted — the collection shows Filicia’s vision of being “able to cool down a Georgian aesthetic and warm up a Soho loft.” The rugs’ primary colorways were neutrals like grey and beige, with the only pop of color being a soft yellow. According to Leighton Lloyd, merchandising and brand manager, the October expansion of the line will include additional color accents. Also at Feizy, the indoor/outdoor rug collection Alden was getting attention among buyers and designers. Made of 100 percent polyester with a soft hand, the rug is a hefty flatweave with a Moroccan over-weave and braiding. Two of the colorways in this collection were chosen by Filicia. The rug is intended for a higher-end market and has a MAP price of $599 for a 5x8.
Feizy's new indoor/outdoor Alden Collection garnered plenty of attention from attendees for its soft hand and Moroccan overweave.
Brooke Smith of Creative Interiors in Franklin, North Carolina, browses Feizy's latest designs with Dino Hillas of Feizy.
HAROUNIAN RUGS INTERNATIONAL (HRI)
HRI's debuts the hand-knotted Charlotte collection at High Point Market and buyers appreciated the rich textures and contemporary palettes.
Two collections first launched at the Vegas market have proved to be a hit for HRI at High Point. Charlotte and Vivian are both hand-knotted in India of wool with viscose highlights, and fall into the same quality level and price category of the company’s long-running Avalon collection. Vivian has a warmer palette with yellows, blush and beige, while Charlotte is in a cooler tone. Both have a subtle geometric cross-hatch design. Brand-new for High Point, and getting lots of attention, is Kilim, a 100 percent wool, hand-loomed collection featuring a geometric pattern that has a menswear-type look.
HRI's hand-knotted Vivian collection with its textural abstract designs in warm soft tones was a hit with market-goers.
JAIPUR LIVING
Designers Susan Rudd, left, and Susan Yeley, both of Susan Yeley Homes in Bloomington, Indian, shop Jaipur Livings showroom.
The romantically named Someplace in Time collection was the highlight in the Jaipur showroom. A low-pile, hand-knotted construction of wool made in India, this collection features a vintage look in traditional patterns, treated with an aging process to create an authentically time-worn patina. The collection has colorways of rusts, blues, rosy clay, and muted grey. Available in programmed sizing up to 12 by 15 feet, it can also be custom-ordered in a variety of shapes and sizes.
Jaipur Living's hand-knotted Some Place in Time collection is treated with a special aging process to give the rugs a time-worn look.
KALATY
Kalaty's hand-knot Ankara collection, a company top seller, remains a perennial favorite.
Joseph Kalati, principal, said Ankara continues to be a hit, and therefore displayed as a focal point in the company’s High Point showroom. Made of 90 percent wool and 10 percent Silkette, this hand knotted rug comes in a full program of sizes, from 2x3 to 12x15, as well as rounds and runners. The Ankara collection has a transitional appeal and a subtle, neutral palette.
KALEEN
Kaleen grows its popular tufted Chancellor collection with 12 new designs for High Point shoppers.
One of Kaleen’s areas of focus for the market was refreshing some of its existing lines that continue to be popular. The hand-tufted Chancellor collection, which debuted several years ago and has long been a customer favorite, has 12 new patterns featuring pastels and darker hues, “fun colors we don’t normally play with,” said Brian Brigham, director of marketing and public relations. He said that working on a licensed collection for Tamara Day, which will have a soft launch later this year, inspired Kaleen’s designers to get more creative with the use of color. The company’s hand-tufted Marble collection, crafted of space-dyed wool, also got a line extension, with 10 new additions to the five-year-old line. New designs and colors, including pinks and greens, enhanced Marble's offerings, including some patterns that have a petrified wood-inspired design. Finally, one of the biggest hits at previous markets, Perci, expanded with 17 new designs. This indoor/outdoor collection features bold, colorful stripes in a flat-woven polyester.
Kaleen's debuts the machine-made Degas collection of durable, soft designs in a range of styles from abstract to classic medallion designs
LOLOI
In the Loloi showroom, from left: Catherine Wilson of Catherine Wilson Interiors in Atlanta, Mariah Padgett of J Douglas/Loloi, Sara Moore and Margaret Surber, both of Catherine Wilson Interiors.
There were a few standouts among the wide assortment on show in Loloi’s newly expanded IHFC showroom. One was Bennett, featuring a Dhurri base with a heavy wool pile. “Some people see Scandinavian, some see Mid-century,” said John Thompson, vice president of southeast region. “It’s hard to get a good, clean ivory but I think we nailed it.” From Justina Blakeney, Yeshaia was a highlight, a 100 percent polyester pile construction featuring geometrics of various shapes and plenty of texture. In the Magnolia Home showroom, Carlisle was attracting attention. This 100 percent polyester rug represents a shift to softer tones like warm brown, blue, and beige, and more traditional feel. “The imagery we put here is that it’s going to be a part of their family for a long time,” noted Thompson.
Magnolia Home by Loloi adds the machine-made Carlisle collection, featuring classic motifs in soft colorations.
-- Read Best Of High Point Market Rugs - Hot Products & Showrooms, Part 2